


Wounded Wings

by Juliko



Category: Wonder Egg Priority (Anime)
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Assault Of A Minor, Backstory, Canon Compliant, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Do Not Endorse, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Language, Non-Consensual Groping, Non-Consensual Touching, POV Minor Character, Pre-Canon, Sexual Assault, Suicide, Victim Blaming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 14:40:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30040218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juliko/pseuds/Juliko
Summary: "Hagiwara Miwa had gone to and from school by train for most of her middle school life. The same train car that was always crowded, with the screens displaying colorful advertisements for anything and everything it could. The odor of cologne, coffee, and soggy french fries constantly hanging in the air. She couldn’t imagine going to and from school without all of those things. Using the train had become as normal as breathing to her.Until one day it wasn’t."Miwa Hagiwara finds herself the target of a pervert, but can she find help? Basically a fully fleshed out backstory for one of the minor characters in episode 4 of WEP.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	Wounded Wings

**Author's Note:**

> So...hi. This is my first fic for Wonder Egg Priority, and it’s a dark one. I basically made up my own interpretation of the backstory behind one of the wonder egg girls, specifically Miwa, the girl Momoe helps in episode 4. Considering that incidents similar to what Miwa went through are rather common, especially in Japan, I wanted to try my hand at writing a story exploring just how wrong it is to blame victims of sexual assault for their own suffering. It’s painful, it’s degrading, it’s demeaning, and sexual assault survivors often don’t get justice for what is done to them. I’m not going to hold anything back here.
> 
> I do not condone nor endorse the actions in this fan fiction. As such, I’ve tagged the fic accordingly, so you have been warned.

Hagiwara Miwa had gone to and from school by train for most of her middle school life. The same train car that was always crowded, with the screens displaying colorful advertisements for anything and everything it could. The odor of cologne, coffee, and soggy french fries constantly hanging in the air. She couldn’t imagine going to and from school without all of those things. Using the train had become as normal as breathing to her.

Until one day it wasn’t.

It had started off like any other day. Miwa rode the train to school like she always did, and when she ran over to the front gate, her three friends were there to greet her. “Morning, Miwa-chan!” A girl with blonde braids waved to her with a bright smile.

Miwa smiled back when she caught up to the trio, her black hair swaying behind her. “Morning, you guys! Hey, Ikuko-chan! I saw that drama you told me about the other day,” Miwa greeted them back, addressing the blonde girl right away.

“You saw it, finally?! Which episode was it?!” Ikuko immediately squealed with delight, her brown eyes sparkling like newly mined gemstones.

“You got her to watch _Colorful Girls_ already? Jeez,” A boy with shaggy, curly maroon hair asked. “You really want to turn her over to the dark side?”

Ikuko playfully elbowed the boy on his arm. “Oh, shut it, Tetsushi! It’s a great show and you know it!”

Miwa and her other friend—a girl who had a short, brown bob cut—laughed at the scene playing out before them as they walked inside the school building. They managed to make it to their homeroom right before the bell rang. From there, the first half of the day consisted of lessons, teachers’ lectures, and studying, which for many was hell by ennui. But Miwa threw herself into her studies, taking notes as best she could. She didn’t make straight A’s like the more intelligent students she knew of, but lots of B’s with a few A’s sprinkled in were perfectly fine with her.

So when the lunch bell rang, every student in Miwa’s class wasted no time leaving their desks and racing towards wherever destination they headed, whether it be the cafeteria or other classrooms where their friends were.

“Hey, Miwa-chan!” The brown haired girl from earlier leaned right into Miwa’s desk. “Want to eat lunch outside today? I think I’ll die from boredom if I have to stare at these walls for a second longer.”

“Sure, Chiharu-chan,” Miwa replied, accepting her invitation straight away. She herself had wanted to eat outside the classroom, since she could feel her legs getting restless. Going outside for a few minutes and basking in the sunshine would probably help get her ready for the rest of the day. She took her carefully wrapped bento box and followed Chiharu to the flower gardens by the baseball field. Tetsushi and Ikuko were already there when the two of them arrived, so the quartet ate their lunch together.

The four of them spent most of their time chatting about various happenings in their lives. Ikuko’s baby sister learning how to walk for the first time. Chiharu lamenting about how she couldn’t give her love letter to the boy she liked yet again because he had company. Tetsushi complaining about all the chores he was made to do while his older brothers went partying. Miwa talking about how she and her parents visited relatives in Aomori this past weekend.

“We got to see the Hakkoda mountains up close,” Miwa told them, her cheeks turning pink from having talked so much. “They were so big and pretty! Of course, my mom was more interested in the Goto Fusanosuke statue.”

“Show us some pictures!” Chiharu exclaimed, shifting closer.

Miwa pulled her phone out and browsed through her photo gallery. Everyone gathered around her to get a better look at the pictures she took. Snow capped mountains. Pastoral alpine meadows. Smiling relatives. The Goto Fusanosuke statue. Their eyes and mouths widened in awe.

“Awww, I’m so jealous! I wish my family and I went on vacations like these!” Tetsushi groaned. “All we ever do is go out to those sushi restaurants my dad is so obsessed with.”

It was strange for Miwa to admit, but she liked seeing her friends gush over the photos she took of her trip. A smile played at her lips as she watched them scroll through her phone. “Maybe next time I’ll ask my parents if we can take you guys,” The second she said that, her eyebrows furrowed. “But I know Mom wouldn’t like the idea.”

“Well, when we get older and start learning how to drive and stuff, it’ll be possible!” Ikuko suggested, snapping her fingers with melodramatic flourish. Everyone broke into merry laughter, enjoying the rest of their lunch hour. Miwa looked forward to the day she could bring her friends to Aomori.

But that day would never come.

When the school day ended, Miwa and her friends walked to the station together. Her friends lived close to school, so they had no need to take the train. Miwa waved her friends goodbye as they made their way back home while she went through the terminal. The familiar, suffocating crowds and soggy french fry air welcomed her as she walked onto the platform, just a few feet from the tracks. When the train arrived, Miwa went right inside, facing the window so she could watch the scenery fly so fast, it seemed to become a blur. People clustered together, almost squishing one another. Miwa could feel someone against her back, but didn’t pay it any mind. It was normal for trains to get crowded, and the person moving against her likely couldn’t help it.

She stole a glance at someone next to her. A man in a nice, starched gray suit holding a brown briefcase. His dark hair, lighter than hers, was perfectly smoothed out. Miwa often wondered about the people who often shared the same train with her, sometimes imagining stories about them in her head to pass the time. Was he a bigshot executive at a company, or just an employee like her father was? A lawyer or a doctor? The man looked back at her, flashing a smile and waving his hand. Miwa smiled back, as that was the polite thing to do, and turned to face the window again. The train needed to stop at two stations before she could get off and make her way home, which would take about fifteen minutes at most. The cacophony from the crowd became little more than white noise to her. A baby crying, some high school girls giggling amongst one another, a man talking on his cellphone.

Perfectly normal.

The train stopped once, and a few passengers left. Others walked on, and Miwa checked her phone. Only five minutes had passed. It was amazing how fast this giant machine moved in so little time. She steadied herself as the train shifted, moving once again. Miwa wondered what her mother would be making for dinner tonight. Last night, she had made zosui, which was wonderfully warm and tasty. Miwa hoped she wouldn’t make eel over rice. Eel tasted absolutely disgusting to her, and just thinking about it made Miwa’s face contort.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by something touching her chest.

Wait...her chest?

She didn’t recognize this feeling. Nothing should be touching it. The hair stood up on her neck like the spines on a porcupine. Miwa looked down, and saw something that shouldn’t be there.

A hand. A large hand that wasn’t hers. Bulky, wrinkled, and rough.

A foreign body was there that shouldn’t be there. Everything around Miwa became white noise. Her eyes widened, her heartbeats quickened, and she wanted this thing off of her NOW. Why was it here? How long was it there? Who was doing this? It needed to go away, and it had to go right this instant. This couldn’t be happening. It shouldn’t have been happening! Memories from health class came back to her in that moment. At one point, the class had learned about “good touch and bad touch,” with the bad touch being someone you know or don’t know touching your private parts. Miwa’s mind reeled in horror. This was what this man was doing!

Then, the hand removed itself from her. Miwa turned around, seeing a large man behind her, wearing a nice, black business suit. She tried to look at his face, but the man had turned around, and the people around her were so tightly clustered around them that she couldn’t make out his face. All she could see was that he had thinning grayish brown hair and round glasses.

The speakers blared the name of her stop, and Miwa wasted no time running out of there like the devil was on her tail. But even though she was out of the train, she didn’t feel safe. Her whole body shook, and when she found a bench to sit on, she didn’t make it there. Her legs gave out and she fell to her knees, trying to process what had happened to her. She had heard stories about these kinds of incidents. Perverts would walk up to unsuspecting girls, rub their butts, and touch their breasts, using the crowds to blend in and get away with it. Miwa took in huge breaths, trying desperately to calm herself down. It didn’t work.

“Why...why…?” Miwa asked herself over and over again. “Why did that happen to me?” She hugged herself tightly with both arms, tears streaking her cheeks as she did so.

What could she do? Talk to the police about it? She didn’t know what this guy looked like, nor did she know his name, so they wouldn’t know how to find him. If she did, would they even arrest him? Would they consider what he did a crime? Or would they take his side and claim she was overreacting? So many questions whirled in Miwa’s mind, but there was no solid answer. Was this a one-time thing? That had to be it, right? Surely this was just one unpleasant incident that she could just forget about.

Her phone vibrating pulled Miwa out of her thoughts. She took it out of her pocket and opened it. It was a text from her mother.

_To: Miwa_

_From: Mom_

_Miwa! Where are you? It’s already four! It’s not like you to be this late!_

Something compelled Miwa to respond.

_To: Mom_

_From: Miwa_

_Sorry! The train took longer than usual to arrive. I’ll be home in a few minutes!_

Miwa took a minute to compose herself and made her way to her house, which was only a five minute walk from the station. Throughout the walk, another debate coursed through her mind. Should she tell her mother about it? What could her mother do? Again, no sensible answer came to mind. She walked inside and took her shoes off.

“I’m home!”

Footsteps caught her ears, and a woman with curly black hair tied in a ponytail came rushing towards her with a severe look on her face, her high heels clacking harshly against the floor. Miwa shivered. Her mother’s eyebrows were knitted together tightly, and her mouth was pressed in a hard, thin line.

“Where the hell have you been?!” Her mother exclaimed harshly. “You should have been home right at four, and it’s already four fifteen!”

Seeing her mother’s fiery eyes made Miwa shrink. No way was she going to tell her mother about what happened. Not when she was in such a bad mood. “I’m sorry, Mother. Like I said, the train was delayed by a few minutes.”

Although her mother believed her lie, she continued to bark at Miwa about being punctual. Miwa frowned as she made her way into the kitchen, with her mother’s high heeled, staccato footsteps continuing to follow her. “When I tell you to be home at a certain time, I mean it! I don’t want you to be coming home late every day and causing me so much worry!”

Miwa tried not to pay her any mind, forcing out another apology as she grabbed herself a snack from the cupboard and made her way to her room. At least in there, she was safe. But the incident on the train continued to plague her mind. Miwa wasn’t sure why that had happened. Was it something she wore? All she ever wore was her school uniform, so that couldn’t have been it. Or was it something else? Was it even as bad as she thought it was? There were people out there who had gone through worse—maimed, disemboweled, or outright raped. Did she even have a right to consider what happened a genuine problem? Miwa didn’t know, and she wished that awful thing would just leave her brain already. She looked up at the posters on her walls, depicting all manner of birds and avians. Red cardinals, blue jays, yellow finches, red-breasted robins, with their wings outstretched and flying towards the sky, free and unrestrained by anything.

If Miwa had wings, she could fly to and from school, and she wouldn’t have to use the train. She did her homework and read some bird books before dinner. Thankfully, her mother didn’t make eel, and her father returned home just in time. He was a tall, bulky man who worked at a famous law office nearby, but he always greeted everyone with a friendly smile on his face and never had a bad word to say about anyone. Dinner was hayashi rice stew with tomato sauce. Miwa wasn’t a huge fan of it, as she liked other foods better, but it wasn’t bad.

“So Miwa, how was school?” Her father asked.

“Good. I showed my friends the pictures I took when we were in Aomori,” Miwa replied with a sheepish smile.

Her father gave a big grin as he finished a slice of tomato. “That’s good to hear! Maybe the next time we go, we can invite them to come with us.”

Just like Ikuko suggested earlier. Miwa looked down at her dinner, uneasy. “That’d be...great…”

“We spent far too much money on that trip,” Her mother exclaimed irritably. “You won’t be getting much of an allowance for a while, Miwa. Have you finished your homework?”

“Yes, Mother.”

Her mother gave a big sigh. “I really ought to sign you up for flower arrangement classes.”

Miwa shrugged and continued to eat. She really didn’t care for flower arranging, but her mother was insistent that she take lessons for some reason. After she finished dinner, she went back to her room and read one of her bird books. Glossy photographs of birds on every page greeted her, as if ready to break into song. A smile played at her lips as she lost herself in her book of birds. Parrots with crimson feathers. Green parakeets with short, hooked beaks. Toucans with beaks larger than their own bodies. Miwa couldn’t help but wonder how they were able to carry those things without falling over all the time. Reading this always helped Miwa to feel better after a hard day.

As Miwa went to bed for the night, she hoped the incident was a one-time thing and that she’d never have to go through it again.

* * *

It wasn’t.

The very next day, it happened again. And again the day after that. And again. And again. Miwa found herself constantly being touched in the wrong place by someone on the train, and every time, she couldn’t escape it. The crowds were too thick, and should she have tried to fight him off...he was a grown man. She was just a young girl. The man could easily squash her flat or try to have his way with her if she tried to fight. Fear paralyzed her whenever the man touched her. It was like every time he did so, he froze her in place. Sometimes, she could smell his cologne. More than that, her own helplessness was stifling, and the lingering touch made her simmer with anger. She wanted to do something. Anything! Pushing his arm away didn’t work, as he just got back at it until he stopped. Every touch felt more degrading than the last, and her cheeks burned in shame. Even Miwa’s attempts at trying to protect herself—crossing her arms tightly around her chest or keeping her bag in front of it—didn’t work, as he was strong enough to push them away.

Every time, Miwa would come home from school in tears. It continued all week, and one day, Miwa got off at her stop, found a bench in a secluded place and cried her eyes out. She buried her face in her hands, bawling.

“Why is this happening to me?” Miwa wished she could disappear. “Why is he doing this to me? Why?!” Yet again, she had no answer. She could still feel the man’s lingering touch on her clothes, and sobs wracked her small frame.

After having a moment to cry, Miwa made her way back home. She found her mother sitting in the living room watching TV. “I’m home, Mother.”

“Welcome back, dear,” Her mother replied without taking her eyes off the TV.

Miwa recognized the TV show right away. “Is this _Crimes on Camera_ again?” She asked. Her mother nodded. _Crimes on Camera_ showed actual crimes being committed, whether it be on security cameras, cellphone video, police body cams, and so on. But as soon as Miwa saw what was being shown on the episode, she let out an audible gasp.

Camera footage showed a woman on a train getting groped by some pervert. The woman cried out for help and the man was apprehended. The host of the TV show had a brief interview segment with the woman in question, not only lauding her for her brave actions, but asking her what prompted her to fight back. The woman said she didn’t want some creep to have his way with her, and spoke about how society often tries to convince women that if someone preys on them, that it’s somehow their own fault rather than the perpetrator’s. Miwa watched, mesmerized. The woman said that it’s not right to blame assault survivors for the culprit’s actions or to make them feel ashamed of themselves.

A smile spread across Miwa’s face. That woman was faced with danger, but she stood up for herself. Miwa wished she was that strong. More so when the show mentioned that the criminal was arrested.

“Tch!” Miwa’s smile faded when she heard her mother scoff loudly. “She wouldn’t have been in that situation if she hadn’t been dressing in such a revealing outfit! She brought it on herself!” Her mother grumbled. “Guys like that always go after the pretty and cute ones. What did she think was going to happen?! You’d think girls like her would know better by now! I’m sure her parents are ashamed of themselves for her behavior.”

For a moment, Miwa couldn’t speak. Her mother’s venomous words cut right through her heart. Her mother thought the woman deserved it because she happened to dress in a revealing outfit?! Was she even aware of how cruel she sounded right now? Miwa was blown away by her mother’s callousness. Clothing wasn’t an invitation to hurt someone. Miwa knew that much. She had been right not to tell her mother about what was happening to her. No way was she going to tell her about it now. For all she knew, her mother would say the exact same thing to her.

It was like a sinkhole had opened underneath her, swallowing her whole. If she couldn’t tell her mother what was happening, who could she tell? Her friends? Her father? Maybe they could help.

“Your father’s staying late at work, so he won’t be here for dinner tonight.”

Miwa’s shoulders slumped. She had wanted to at least talk to him about it. Her vision blurred with oncoming tears as she made her way to her room once more. Was this happening to her because of what she was wearing? All she wore was her school uniform, and it wasn’t even revealing. She never made her skirt short, nor did she ever unbutton her blouse. She never liked the idea of showing so much skin so frivolously. Others did, which was their business, but that wasn’t Miwa. Her uniform wasn’t like that.

Right?

She didn’t know what to think anymore.

* * *

The day after that, Miwa went to school as usual, her mind little more than a fog. She could barely focus on her lessons, and jumped with fright whenever someone called out her name. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down, but her whole body felt like a cinder block was weighing it down. Everything from the teacher’s lectures to the cacophony of her fellow classmates’ chatter was little more than white noise to her. In a way, she wished the school day wouldn’t end. During lunch break, she searched for alternate train routes that could take her to the station. There were none except for one, but it would be 40 minutes longer than usual, and she was sure her mother would lose her mind at Miwa being late coming home. She looked up buses that went the same route, but since the school was more than an hour away by bus, there was no way they’d take her to and from home on time.

“Miwa-chan?”

A voice right next to her made Miwa’s heart pound, and she stood up in alarm, eyes wide with terror like she saw a ghost. She held her arms up, as if defending herself, only letting them hang from her side when she recognized who it was.

“I-Ikuko…” Miwa’s voice was shaky.

Ikuko raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay? You’ve been both jumpy and listless all week. Is something wrong?”

Jumpy and listless. Ikuko wasn’t wrong about that. Miwa crumpled into herself, her heart slowing back to its normal place. She suddenly felt cornered and didn’t know why. “Sorry. Things have been...hectic at home lately. Mom’s been grilling me about high school entrance exams…”

Could she tell Ikuko about it? The two of them had been friends for years. Would she be able to confide in her? But she didn’t want to tell her everything straight out. She wasn’t sure how Ikuko would react.

“Sure. I get it. But if something’s bothering you or troubling you, you know you can feel free to tell me about it, right?” Ikuko replied.

 _‘Would you?’_ Miwa wasn’t so sure. If she were to tell, what if the creep on the train would go after her as well? Didn’t adults always have their ways of figuring out what other people were doing? Besides, Ikuko never took the train to school. She lived five minutes from school.

“It’s nothing, really,” As much as Miwa didn’t want to, she brushed off Ikuko’s concerns with a sheepish smile. “I’ve just been tired is all.”

Before Ikuko could question her further, the bell signaling the end of lunch rang, and the two girls made their way back to their classes.

Miwa didn’t have it in her to talk to her friends after the end of school or walk to the station with them. They seemed busy with their own stuff, and Miwa didn’t want to bother them with her own angst...even though a part of her wanted to scream. Her legs carried her back to the train station. Back to the soggy coffee and french fry stench in the air. Back to the suffocating crowds that confined her to one place. Back to the hell that had once been her routine.

“Miss?”

“Hm?” Was someone talking to her? Miwa looked up, seeing a well dressed man looking down at her. Wait...he looked familiar. Brown hair that was smoothed out, gray suit, brown briefcase, and a small stubble on his chin. Miwa had seen him before. He was a frequent rider. She wondered if he took this train home from work every day.

“Would you mind helping me with something?” The man asked.

“Sure. What is it?”

“My daughter got me a phone for my birthday, and I want to learn how to record videos, but I can’t seem to get this thing to work right,” The man explained, holding out his smartphone. “Would it be okay if you showed me how to do this?”

Someone was actually asking her to help them with something? Miwa found herself smiling. This was a nice change from this past week. Plus, for all she knew, if the creep saw her with someone else, it might deter him from groping her again.

“I don’t mind. I’d love to help,” Miwa beamed as she showed the man how to record videos with his smartphone. It didn’t take very long, and the man stared at her phone the entire time, watching her show him the buttons he needed to use. “And there you go.”

A smile spread across the man’s face. “Thank you so much, Miss.”

“You’re welcome.”

With that, Miwa checked around herself once more. She didn’t see the creep around. Was he gone? As much as Miwa wanted to believe so, she didn’t dare assume he was. She turned back around, remaining right next to the man she assisted, hoping that would deter the groper. The train made it to the next stop, people left, and more people appeared on the train. As much as Miwa wanted to move to another spot, the crowds were too thick to maneuver her way through, so she was often stuck in one place the entire time. Miwa could only assume this was how the creep managed to get to her in the first place.

As soon as the train started moving again, the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She felt something press against her back, and her nose caught the scent of cologne. It was him again. Miwa’s eyes widened. It was going to happen again, and she wouldn’t be able to escape it. Questions reeled through her mind. How long was she going to have to deal with this? Why her? Why was this man doing this to her? Was this how her life was going to be forever? Miwa pressed her lips into a thin line. She didn’t want this at all. She didn’t want to spend her whole life feeling scared and being constantly degraded.

The woman featured on that TV show flashed through her mind again. The woman who wasn’t going to take it anymore and fought back.

 _“I was scared, but more than that, I was angry,”_ She remembered the woman saying in the interview featured in the episode. _“People like that shouldn’t be allowed to get away with hurting women the way they do. It takes a lot of courage to even stand up to them. If I don’t fight back, who will? If I don’t fight back, this’ll just happen to someone else, and others. There comes a time when you have to put your foot down and say,_ ‘No more!’ _”_

No more.

Of course.

This couldn’t go on. Miwa took in a deep breath. That woman fought back because she didn’t want to let this guy keep hurting her or others. Miwa just wanted this creep gone.

The second she felt his hand, Miwa bristled.

No more!

She yanked his hand off of her with both hands, but she clutched onto him as tight as she possibly could. Then, she screamed as loud as she could muster, “HELP!! SOMEBODY’S GROPING ME!!”

In that instant, pandemonium broke out. Bystanders grabbed onto the man, pinning him down on the train. Miwa let go of him as soon as she saw him fall. Several men sat on top of him, with one of them pulling the creep’s hands behind him as though attempting to handcuff him. Miwa fell to her knees, her heart racing a mile a minute.

People screamed at him, calling him out for his cruelty while refusing to release him from their grip.

“Think you can just perv on young girls, huh?!”

“What’s wrong with you?! You’re sick!”

“You’re coming with me to the police station at the next stop!”

“It’s no use trying to deny it! I have the whole thing on video!”

It was here that Miwa finally saw what her attacker looked like. He was...a middle aged man, with thinning grayish brown hair, round glasses, and wearing a black business suit, complete with a white dress shirt and a red tie. He looked just like a person she’d see on the street. The middle aged man’s eyes locked onto Miwa with an intense, contorted glare.

“Miss? Are you okay?”

A familiar voice pulled Miwa out of her reverie. She looked up, seeing the man she helped earlier. The man flashed a reassuring smile and held his cellphone up. “I recorded the whole incident, and I have every intention of dragging him to the police station kicking and screaming. My buddy over there has him pinned, so he’s not going anywhere,” He explained. “You don’t have to come with us if you don’t want to. I’m sure you’re scared enough as it is, so if you’re not comfortable, it’s perfectly okay.”

Miwa looked down at her shoes, averting her gaze. This man was being so kind to her, even having his friend restrain the groper for her sake when he didn’t have to. All these people were trying so hard to protect her, and this man was even giving her the option to leave in case she was too scared to file a report. Miwa was scared this wouldn’t happen. She was afraid that if she cried out for help, the creep would either hurt her worse, or she would be ignored. The scene playing out before her showed otherwise. Reassured by the man’s kindness, Miwa stood back up.

“No. I’ll come with you to the station. I want to see him be punished for what he did to me,” Miwa told him with an unfamiliar stern tone in her voice.

When they got to Miwa’s stop, the two men wasted no time dragging the creep to the police station, which was thankfully right next to the train station. The two younger men—Miwa overheard them say their names were Nojima and Wakabayashi, with Nojima being the man she helped earlier—told the nearest police officer everything that happened today. The middle aged man tried to defend himself, claiming that Miwa was lying about it, which the younger men quickly disproved with the cellphone video, or that she was assaulting him.

“Get over yourself, pedophile!” Wakabayashi bellowed. “Look at her! Does she even look like she’d be capable of sexually assaulting you?! You’re way bigger and bulkier than she is! Don’t even try to pull that shit!”

Valid points, as far as Miwa was concerned. She didn’t dare show it, but her vision blurred when the older man claimed she was hurting him. He might as well have said she was somehow asking for it in some way. Miwa wanted to cry, but she steeled herself. When the police officer questioned Miwa, she answered all of her questions as clearly as she could.

“That man has been molesting me since last week. I was too scared to report it until now,” Miwa admitted.

After a while, the police woman took the middle aged man into a back room, advising the trio to stay for a while longer. Nojima pulled his phone out and called someone as they were waiting. “Hi, Honey. It’s me. I’ll be coming home later than usual. I saw a crime take place, and Wakabayashi and I are at the police station. Yes. Yes. Some creep was perving on a middle school girl. Got the whole thing on video. They might take it as evidence, so if I don’t have my phone anymore, that’s why. I’ll be back as soon as I’m able. I just want to make sure this kid’s safe. Yes, she’s with me.”

Miwa’s jaw fell agape. This man was willing to stay with her for her own protection, and from what she could make out from the phone conversation, his wife was fully supportive. It was then that Miwa remembered: She hadn’t said thanks to the two of them yet.

“Umm...thank you...for helping me…” Miwa stammered, feeling shy all of a sudden. “You really didn’t have to—”

“Don’t mention it, sweetheart,” Nojima told her reassuringly, flashing his big smile. “Creeps like that belong in jail. By the way…” He rummaged through his briefcase and pulled out a business card, handing it to Miwa. “I’m actually a therapist who specializes in helping sexual assault survivors. If you ever want to reach out to me about this in any way, don’t ever hesitate to give me a call.”

So Nojima was a therapist. Miwa’s imagination was proven wrong, but she didn’t mind. She gingerly took the man’s card into her hands. It was light, and the corners were sharp, but it may as well have been a bag of diamonds to her. Tears trickled out from her brown eyes as she held it to her chest.

It took a while for the middle aged man to get processed, but Miwa watched as he was led into another police car outside. But before the car left, the man stole a sidelong glare towards Miwa, as if saying this wasn’t over. Miwa shivered, hiding behind Nojima in case the man was planning to retaliate. Only when the police car drove away did Miwa exhale a big sigh of relief. The nightmare was over!

“Would you like us to walk you home, Miss?” Wakabayashi asked.

Miwa shook her head. “No thank you. You’ve done enough for me already. I’ll be fine from now on,” She gave a grateful bow, waving goodbye as she walked down the street that would lead to her house. Both gentlemen waved back at her with smiles on their faces.

For the first time in what seemed to be an eternity, Miwa felt...free, like a bird spreading its wings for the first time. With the video Nojima took of the incident, the man was sure to be behind bars! Miwa hummed and swung her bookbag as she skipped along the street, happier than she had ever been the entire week and a half. At least for now, she no longer had to deal with that creep. When she walked to her front door and opened it, she didn’t make it two steps inside before someone grabbed her and pulled her into a hug,

“Miwa!”

Her father held her close. Miwa could smell his cologne, and her heart ached when she heard the worry in his voice. “Miwa! Where were you?! It’s five o’clock already! I was so worried! You never called or sent a text or anything!”

Oh. In that moment, Miwa realized that she had forgotten to call or text him, telling him she’d be late. The events of today made that slip her mind. The euphoria that enveloped her fizzled away.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Miwa whimpered. Her father finally released her from his tight grasp. “I honestly forgot.”

Could she tell him? He was already worried about her at this moment, so she didn’t want to make him even more so. But she didn’t want to lie to him, either. He wanted to know where she was, and probably thought something had happened to her. He wasn’t wrong, as something did happen. Maybe...she could tell him.

“I was...at a police station.”

“Police?” Her father raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”

“I...I need to tell you something. Is Mom around?”

“No. She’s out with friends. Miwa?”

The two of them sat down at the dining room table, spines straight as pencils, as Miwa told him everything that had been going on, from last week to tonight. With every word she spoke, Miwa saw her father’s irises shrink and his fists tremble. Miwa froze. What was he thinking? She saw him clench his teeth, and his face turned red, like he wanted to hit someone. Thankfully, he didn’t do that. He simply buried his face into his hands.

“Miwa...I had no idea...I’m so sorry! I should have noticed sooner!” He sobbed into his palms. “I mean, I suspected something was going on, because you seemed upset about something, but I thought it was just a girl thing. Middle school girl stuff.”

“I was...afraid…” Miwa sputtered, eyes darting everywhere except her father’s face. “You already had so much on your plate. I didn’t want to worry you…”

Her father’s chair squeaked harshly as he stood up, walked over to Miwa and pulled her into another tight hug.

“So what if I have a lot on my plate? None of that matters as much to me as you do!” Her father exclaimed. “Don’t ever be afraid to tell me someone is hurting you! If I ever see that bastard…!”

“Dad…” Miwa felt as though a hundred bricks had been lifted off of her. He believed her and didn’t claim she had brought it on herself! She had prepared for the worst, but thankfully, the worst didn’t come to pass. Free from the shackles the creep used to bind her, Miwa broke into tears and sobbed into her father’s chest. The two of them remained in their embrace for several solid minutes as Miwa cried out her pain, releasing it from her being. Her father could only rub her back with his familiar bulky hand. It was the best sensation in the world. After Miwa had a good cry, the two of them sat back down.

“Did you file a report?” Her father asked.

Miwa nodded. “There were a lot of witnesses who helped pin the guy down. Two of them even backed me up at the police station. One of them recorded it on video with his phone,” She explained. Her voice was still breathy from crying, but she felt calmer now.

“I see. I certainly hope that bastard is kept behind bars,” Her father grumbled out loud. Miwa was sure he’d want to find the guy and give him his just desserts from the way he grumbled just now. Miwa didn’t blame him. “Unfortunately, as much as we’d love for that to happen, a lot of these guys don’t get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, even with evidence.”

What? Miwa shivered. There was a chance the creep wouldn’t get locked up? That he could get out? Miwa buried her face in her hands. She thought this was going to be the end of it.

“Sorry, Miwa. I’m not trying to scare you or anything,” Her father was quick to reassure her, though she could tell it sounded forced. “Whatever happens, I’ll always have your back. There’s a lot we’ll need to do from here on out.”

“Dad?”

“Hm?”

“Can you do one thing for me?”

“Sure, sweetie. What is it?”

As much as Miwa didn’t want to say it, knowing it’d be rude to say, she knew she had to push it out. “...Can we keep this a secret from Mom?” Miwa asked, voice trembling as she spoke. “The reason being that...Mom was watching an episode of _Crimes on Camera_ , and it was about a girl getting groped by a pervert. Mom said it was the girl’s fault it happened because she happened to wear a revealing outfit. I’m afraid...if she hears it happened to me...that she might…”

 _Say the same thing to me_. She didn’t dare finish that sentence, letting her mind do it for her. But it was enough to make Miwa shrink into her seat from the terror of it all. If her mother were to find out about this, Miwa was sure she would claim it was her fault, even though she was the victim.

A gentle hand nudged her shoulder. “I can’t make any promises, since you’ve already filed a report, and for all we know, the police might want your mom and I both to know about it, in case they want to take it to court. Plus...you’re not wrong about your mother’s beliefs being rather...backwards. But I say again: no matter what happens, I’ll always support you in any way that I can.”

Miwa flashed a sad smile. One thing she liked about her father was that he was always straight with her, never trying to sugarcoat anything, nor making promises he couldn’t keep. He always gave her the facts. Still, even with the knowledge that her mother might not take this well, Miwa still felt lighter than she did all week. Her father heard her out and promised to help her keep the creep behind bars. That in itself spoke volumes about him.

For now, the two of them went about the rest of their day, with Miwa’s mother coming home from her outing, having dinner, and doing homework. Although the idea that the pervert might get out of jail somehow still pricked at her mind like a rose’s thorns, Miwa went to bed with a light heart. She looked forward to what the future might bring, knowing that she wouldn’t be hurt while riding the train to and from school. She had to think positive. Maybe things would look up from here on out. Surely things could only get better, right?

Unfortunately for Miwa, she would be wrong.

* * *

When Miwa left to head to the train station two days afterward, something caught her eye as she crossed the street. A grey bird lay dormant on the ground in a puddle of its own blood, wings mangled and twisted in grotesque angles. Miwa’s stomach lurched, and nausea almost rose to her throat. The poor thing! Miwa found a stick and walked up to the bird, wondering if it was still alive. If it was, Miwa hoped to bring it to the local animal clinic so they could nurse it back to health. She bent down and very gently poked the bird’s abdomen. No movement. Miwa sighed, her shoulders deflating with her exhalation. The poor bird was dead. She wondered if an animal tried to eat it. One of the neighbor’s dogs, maybe? As much as it pained her to do so, she knew this dead bird couldn’t stay out here lest the flies get to it. She pulled out her handkerchief and a plastic bag she had in her bookbag, using the former to put the bird’s corpse into the plastic bag. She had intended to use the plastic bag for something else, but figured it would be put to better use here.

She tied the bag up and walked to the train station. She saw a nearby trashcan and put the bag inside. Now the dead bird wouldn’t be eaten by flies or raccoons. Miwa said a brief silent prayer for the bird before making her way to the train that would take her to school. As usual, the train smelled of coffee and soggy french fries, and the crowds were as tight and suffocating as ever. Miwa didn’t mind one bit this time around. School was surprisingly uneventful, other than Miwa finding out that she aced a hard math test and passing a pop quiz without difficulty. By the end of the day, Miwa was on cloud nine when she got on the train. Best of all? No creep perving on her when she took the train home this time around.

It was like things had gone back to normal.

Miwa hummed to herself as she skipped down the street leading to her house. She couldn’t wait to tell her parents about passing the pop quiz and math test.

“I’m home!” Miwa cried out with glee as she took off her shoes and made her way into the dining room.

Her parents sat at the dining room table with grim looks on their faces. Miwa’s smile turned into a frown as soon as she saw them. The atmosphere in the room was thick and tense, and it wasn’t because of the lingering summer humidity in the air this time. Miwa stole a glance at her father, then her mother, repeating the gesture several times.

“Umm...what’s wrong?” Miwa sputtered out, afraid of what the answer would be. “Is...everything okay?”

“Miwa?” Her mother gestured at one of the chairs. “Come here, please.”

Unsure of what was going on, Miwa obeyed and sat down. She noticed her father’s eyebrows were knitted together, and his forehead had lines all over it. Her mother pressed her lips together, and she could barely see her clenched teeth. Something had happened, because her parents never looked like this before. Neither of them even looked at her.

“I have...some sad news to tell you, Miwa,” Her father began, voice trembling similar to how hers was a few days before. He took a minute to clear his throat, but she could tell it didn’t do much to help. “I...I was fired from my job today.”

Fired? Miwa’s breath hitched as her mind searched through the meaning of the word, sorting through everything that this would entail. No job meant no money, and if they didn’t have money, they wouldn’t be able to pay for the house, or for food and clothing. “Fired?” Miwa repeated the word, blinking twice, thinking it’d make sense the second time around. It didn’t. “What’s...going to happen to us?”

“We don’t know,” Her mother replied. Her tone was stern, almost bitter. Miwa shivered.

She turned back to her father. The way he hunched over the table was concerning. He usually stood straight as a nail even as he was sitting. “Do you...know why you got fired?”

Instead of answering right off, her father pulled something out of his briefcase and put it on the table. It was a photograph of a middle aged man, older than her father was. Miwa leaned in to get a closer look...and deja vu hit her like a truck. Her eyes shrunk when she took in the man’s features: thinning hair, round glasses, posh suit and tie…

“Miwa. Be honest with me. Is this...the man who hurt you on the train?” Her father asked.

Her stomach lurched, and bile rose to her throat. She didn’t want to lie, but she could see the glare her mother was giving her. There was no way to deliver this news nicely. But what did this have to do with her father being fired from his job? Then she remembered her father’s words a few days before. No matter what, he would always have her back.

She took in a breath before answering. “Yes, Father. That’s the man who...molested me. Did...the police tell you about him?”

Her parents exchanged looks that Miwa couldn’t read. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Why did everyone still look so grim?

“The thing is, Miwa...that man…” Her father paused to take in a breath before continuing on. “...He’s my boss.”

Boss? The word echoed in Miwa’s brain over and over. The creep who groped her on the train was her father’s boss? At his company?! Miwa had no idea. How could she have known? The guy had never said anything about being a high ranking executive at her father’s company.

“I don’t get it. What does this have to do with you getting—”

“Okonouchi-san called your father into his office earlier today,” Her mother cut her off. “He said you accused him of molesting you and had him put in jail the other day.”

Okonouchi. So that was his name. But Miwa didn’t like the way her mother used the word accused, like she was implying Miwa was trying to pull some kind of cruel prank.

“I...I’m telling you, this is the man who hurt me!” Miwa stammered. “I saw him get processed by the police! One of the passengers recorded the assault on video! Isn’t he...supposed to stay in jail?!”

Her father held his face in his hands, despondently shaking his head. Miwa’s vision began to blur.

“Well, he got out on bail yesterday,” Her mother continued on. “He called your father into his office and told him his services were no longer necessary. He claimed your allegations against him were false, and that he doesn’t want someone like your father ruining the company’s image and reputation.”

Allegations? False? Ruining? Reputation? Every word stabbed Miwa in the heart, with each new one hurting worse than the last. More than that...Okonouchi was out of jail, and fired her father. Was it to get back at her? To show that he could get away with hurting her? The world was falling apart all around her, and she was utterly helpless to stop it.

Her father stood up and began pacing around the kitchen, wringing his hands, clenching his teeth. He paced around in a circle. Twice. Three times. Five times.

“Dad!” Miwa exclaimed, jerking up from her seat and running over to him. “It’s okay! You can find another job. We’ll be okay,” She tried to reassure him, but something about the pained look on his face told her her attempt at placating him wasn’t going to work.

“...Please tell me you’re lying.”

What? Miwa’s jaw fell agape.

“Please. Please be honest with me. I won’t be mad,” Her father stammered, in an almost desolate, broken whisper. “Please tell me this whole thing was a lie. That you made it up. Please…”

A lie?! What gave him that idea? Just days ago, he said he would always have her back. Now that he found out his boss did this, he was just going back on his promise? Miwa couldn’t believe this was happening. This couldn’t be happening!

“It’s not a lie, I promise!” Miwa shouted. “I’d never lie about something like this! You know me better than that! He really did assault me multiple times!”

Neither parent said anything.

Miwa’s mouth ran away with her. “It’ll be okay! You can find another job! We don’t need to suck up to some creep to get by, right? There’s lots of other, better jobs out there not run by creepy perverts!”

Her mother jerked up from her seat, stomped over to Miwa, and slapped her so hard across the face, the child almost fell over. Miwa’s hand flew to her cheek like a startled bird. Her cheek roared from the sting, and Miwa felt like someone had shattered a glass bottle inside her head. Miwa didn’t dare look her mother in the eye. She didn’t need to look at her to see that her face was red, her teeth were bared, and her eyes flashed fire.

“Hagiwara Miwa, do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” Miwa’s mother screeched loud enough to hurt her daughter’s eardrums, not that she cared. Unlike Miwa’s father, her mother was not in any way understanding whatsoever. “Your father lost his job and livelihood because you went and made a fuss!! We’re ruined because of you!!”

Ruined? How could this be? Nothing made any sense. Miwa couldn’t make sense of what was happening. But all she knew was that everything she feared would happen was happening right before her eyes.

“Honey, don’t!” Miwa’s father put a hand on his wife’s arm, holding her back. “Don’t blame her for this! She makes a good point. I can just find another—”

But his wife paid him no heed as she continued her vitriolic tirade. “I can’t even begin to tell you how utterly disgusted I am with you! You know your father needs this job to keep a roof over our heads and pay the bills, and you’ve gone and completely squandered it with your lies!!”

“I’m not lying!!” Miwa cried. The tears came spilling out. “I had no idea who the guy even was!! How was I supposed to know the guy who was molesting me was Dad’s boss?!”

“That’s no excuse! If someone puts their hands on you like that, just zip your lips and put up with it like a good girl! The less fuss you make, the better!” Mrs. Hagiwara bellowed. “And honestly, if your claims do turn out to be true, I’m not even surprised Okonouchi targeted you! You’re cute and pretty. As far as I’m concerned, you brought it on yourself looking the way you do.”

“Kiku! How dare you?!” Mr. Hagiwara marched right up to his wife and screamed in her face, appalled by her utter callousness.

The two of them began arguing amongst themselves, but to Miwa, it was just white noise at this point. Everything was closing in on her. Swallowing her whole. With a pained sob, Miwa ran into her room and slammed the door behind her. She held her hands to her wet face as she slid down to the floor and cried. This shouldn’t be happening. Her parents were supposed to have her back. But her father actually faltered, almost believing that she had made it up, and she had been right about her mother’s reaction all along. Just because she expected it didn’t mean it hurt any less. This had been far worse than she had imagined.

All she wanted was for the nightmare to stop. Now it had come back tenfold. Okonouchi was out of jail, her father was out of a job, and her mother refused to help her in any way, believing she spun an elaborate lie solely to disgrace them. This was not what Miwa had wanted. Not at all. Why did this happen? Why did wanting a creep to stop groping her wind up turning into this awful nightmare? Miwa wished this whole thing was just a dream she could wake up from, but she knew in her heart this was no dream.

The realization and injustice of it all made her cry even harder. She continued to cry even as her mother banged on her door, demanding that she stop crying and come down for dinner. Miwa had no appetite. How could she, when her mother was just going to hurl blame and hate in her direction the entire time? Miwa had no intention of giving her that satisfaction. It was bad enough she called Miwa’s integrity into question and assumed she made the whole thing up. But to tell her to just put up with it? Like somehow it’d be better if she let Okonouchi grope her for what would possibly be the rest of her life?

Wait...Miwa stopped. There was someone she could reach out to.

She rummaged through her notebooks to see if it was still there. She pulled out a business card—Nojima’s. It had a string of numbers on it. His phone number. Maybe he could help! He did say she could call him at any time. Miwa gave a big sniff as she tried to recompose herself. She grabbed her cell phone and punched in the numbers, hoping—praying that he would answer and tell her none of this was her fault.

The phone rang once. Twice. Three times. A fourth time. Only on the fifth ring did someone answer.

 _“Hello?”_ It was a woman’s voice.

Not what Miwa expected. Maybe his secretary? “Hi, um...I’d like to speak with Nojima Shin, please? I was told I could call him.”

_“I’m sorry, ma’am, but Nojima-san is away in Aomori right now visiting family. Would you like to leave a message?”_

Away? Visiting family? Miwa’s vision went black. The one person she wanted to talk to about this...wasn’t here. Of course he wouldn’t be. He had his own life to live, after all. He said she could call him at any time. Except today. More tears sprung forth.

 _“No thanks. Bye,”_ Miwa hung up without a second thought.

Just like that, everything fell apart all around her. Miwa buried her face in her comforter and cried harder. Now she had no one. Miwa wished she could just disappear and leave everything behind. She had no idea this would spiral so out of control. Now she wished the whole thing had never happened. Darker thoughts came into her mind? _Had_ she ruined her family? _Had_ she brought this whole thing on herself for not just clamming up and letting Okonouchi have his way with her? _Would_ everything be better had she just died? Miwa had always been taught to tell the truth and stand up against injustices. It was the right thing to do. But the right thing wound up biting her in the ass in the worst way possible.

Miwa didn’t want to live anymore if this was how it was going to be. No way could she tell her friends about this either. For all she knew, they’d probably agree with her parents, or even be jealous that some guy came on to her rather than them. She didn’t want to be hurt more than she already was.

No more of this.

Miwa made her decision.

* * *

She set her alarm to 5:30 AM, far earlier than she ever woke up in her life. But she had to do this now, or else her parents would find out and stop her. She wrote something in her notebook, ripped the page out, and left it on her bed. Miwa put on her school uniform, but didn’t bring anything with her. Slowly and silently, she crept to the front door, opened it, and closed it behind her. In the dead of night, Miwa followed the familiar road that led to the train station. Her town looked so different at night. Completely dormant and covered by the veil of darkness, with the dim street lights providing little in the way of illumination. One of them flickered as she walked past.

 _‘I’m sorry, Mom and Dad. Everyone...I’m sorry I ruined everything. I never meant to. I just wanted it all to stop,’_ Miwa thought as her tired legs carried her down the road she walked on. It had become routine after using this same road for so many years. Miwa walked as if in a trance, unable to see what was in front of her, but seeing it at the same time. Despair put her mind in a daze, and her mother’s hateful rhetoric echoed in her mind over and over, like a broken tape recorder that wouldn’t stop playing.

Before she knew it, she found herself at the train station. Even at this time of day, it was brightly lit, still smelling of coffee and soggy french fries. Only there weren’t as many people here this time around. A train stopped to let passengers off before whizzing past. Miwa walked closer and closer to the tracks, watching the tunnel for any train lights.

 _‘All I wanted...was for someone to have my back...to assure me that none of what happened was my fault...that was all I wanted...why won’t anyone help me…?’_ Miwa wished for something she was sure she could never have. Never in a million years.

A train whistle blew, and bright light illuminated the tunnel. Miwa’s legs carried her closer and closer to the tracks, beyond the yellow line meant to keep passengers from being so close to the train. Closer and closer the train came, and Miwa stood at the very edge, ready to meet her end.

The dead bird she found on the street flashed through her mind. It had also been injured, but received no help.

Miwa jumped, ready to let the train’s lights embrace her. She would be free, just like she always wanted. She would no longer be hurt.

But a bird can’t fly with wounded wings.


End file.
